St. Anselm (1033-1109)

Saint Anselm was an Italian Benedictine monk and philosopher best known for his writings on the existence of God. Known as the "Father of Scholastics" and inventor of the ontological argument (on the nature of being), he sought to formalize medieval thought and theological claims into more formal philosophical arguments and to reconcile the logic and teaching of the Greeks with the doctrine of the Church.
 
Anselm believed that a most appropriate point of departure for prayer was reading. He once asked a novice about his spiritual life, to which the novice replied, "I have gone through the whole Bible." Anselm replied, "Very good, but has the Bible gone through you?" Prayer, he held, is a means to allow the word of God to penetrate us.

In 1078, Anselm became archbishop of Canterbury. His defense of the rights of the Church was often at odds with the English monarchy, and he was twice exiled.

Anselm wrote philosophical and theological treatises throughout his life. Among his best-known works is his Proslogion, a meditative proof for the existence of God. He also wrote beautiful prayers that he shared with friends. Anselm’s work led to a movement that searched for a rational justification for the existence of God. He defined theology as "faith seeking understanding."